Author: Andy Lynch

Your Mom and I received some quite good news recently. Yesterday, I took you to see your cardiologist for another follow-up after your operation in October. Your last checkup had been in early November, which was about a month after the balloon operation on your pulmonary valve, and you were doing well then, too.

It’s amazing to watch you learn English. After hearing a word only one time, you often immediately repeat it. And you pick up on how to use new words so fast.

A few months ago, your Mom and I were slightly horrified (and also amazed and entertained) to hear you say “Oh, shit” when you opened the slider door too hard and made the security system magnet fall off and hit the ground. I hadn’t been paying much attention to what I said until that point, and the damage had already been done – you had learned the right context of when someone might say “Oh, shit” and we heard it from you a handful of times after that as well. (Thankfully you seem to have forgotten about that word now – we haven’t heard you say it in a while, but we are still trying to watch what we say around you.)

This morning we all went to the zoo, like we do almost every weekend. You love the zoo, and your Mom and I love watching you at the zoo. When we get there and let you out of the stroller, you immediately start running and get so excited by all of the stuff you see.

This morning, you went running up ahead of us and you saw some people and yelled “Hi, people!” to them. Your mom and I looked at each other and just smiled. You didn’t know those people, but you just wanted to say “Hi” to them. You’re such a sweet girl with a sweet heart, and we love you so much.

What a sweet addition to our family you have been. It’s funny how as a parent you don’t realize that you’re missing something until it arrives and is part of your family. That’s how it was with you and your sister – we didn’t know what we were missing and now our lives will never be the same.

You were born on September 2, but you know that already. Your Mom and I went in to the hospital in the morning and before we knew it, you were born. I almost missed you being born, too! I was downstairs in the hospital getting something to eat, and when I got back to your Mom, she was ready to go – a couple of minutes later, you were born. Continue reading “Dear Margaret”

Before you entered this world, your mom and I had a nice life together – very quiet and relaxing. No responsibilities and the cats (Fitzgerald and Dianna, you might remember them depending on how much longer they live) were our babies and we thought we loved them like they were our children.

Oh boy, were we wrong. We didn’t know what it meant to love until you came along, but I’m getting a bit ahead of myself.Continue reading “Dear Louisa”